The present invention relates generally to a three-dimensional device for teaching anatomy of a body, and more particularly, to a three-dimensional device for teaching the important anatomical landmarks of a specific organ in a body to increase an individual""s understanding of the organ along with possible medical problems and complications involving the organ.
It is important that patients are fully informed with regards to the medical treatment and procedures they are required to undergo. Today, patients are spending less and less time in the hospital during the acute phase of their illness, leaving healthcare professionals with diminished opportunities to help the patient understand what is happening to them. For example, with regards to the heart; in the event of a potential or actual myocardial infarction, a patient may emergently need to go to the cardiac catherization lab for a coronary angiogram. In other instances, an electrophysiology study requiring delineation of an electrical problem in the heart""s conduction system may be indicated. It is frequently difficult for patients who do not have a medical background to understand the explanations of these treatments and procedures given by healthcare professionals, especially as medical treatment can involve some of the most sophisticated technology and complex concepts known today. It would be helpful if these healthcare professionals had a simplified model or diagram they could use to facilitate the explanation of the treatment or procedure to the patients and their families. It is also important for the healthcare professional to be able to explain the medical treatment without having a language or formal schooling barrier impose restrictions on the patient""s understanding.
Most healthcare professionals currently use some sort of stand alone model of the organ of interest or rely on books showing the anatomy of the organs of the body. Problems arise with relying on stand alone models of the organ of interest. First of all, they are not readily available when needed and are cumbersome to handle. The healthcare professional must move the model to where the patient is and this is not always convenient or possible. Second, these models can be rather expensive. Problems also arise when using books showing the anatomy of the body. Pictures are one-dimensional making it difficult for the patient to truly understand the three dimensional structure of the organ and how the problem involved effects the organ of interest. Relying on anatomy books also makes it difficult for the patient to understand the location of the organ of interest in the body.
In the current climate of increased interest in living a healthy life style, it would be helpful for teachers to have a simplified model of human organs to use as tools for teaching the location of various organs in the body along with some of the simple structural landmarks of these organs, in order to facilitate motivating the students to cultivate healthy habits for caring for their bodies and living healthier lives. Teaching students about the different organs that make up their body and the problems that can arise from unwise life choices will increase their awareness and could increase their desire to make healthier decisions. These models could also be useful in medical, nursing or medical assistant learning programs to help the medical and/or nursing student better understand the organ. As discussed above, stand alone models are cumbersome for the teacher to use and with the budgetary limits on most school systems are frequently too expensive to be practical; while books showing the organs in one dimension rarely hold the students"" interest. It would also be helpful in the field of veterinary medicine to have simple, easy to use models of organs of various animals as teaching tools for pet owners and veterinary students or assistants.
What is required in all of these settings is a simple, three-dimensional device which the patient and/or student can readily understand and easily use to understand the organ""s place and function in the body. This device should be easy to carry and store, should not be cost prohibitive and should allow the patient, family member and/or student to have a real xe2x80x9chands-onxe2x80x9d experience when using this device.
The present invention relates generally to a device for producing a three-dimensional representation of a body organ such as the heart, which representation can be worn somewhat like a glove or a mitten by the individual doing the demonstration. In its preferred form, the device is relatively flexible, and its outer surface represents the outer surface of the organ including the colors of the various landmarks of the organ along with the arteries and veins of the organ and other features which distinguish the organ. The present device is especially useful as a teaching device to enable an individual to produce a three-dimensional representation of an organ that can be viewed by a student or a patient or family member such that this person will have a better understanding of what is to take place. This may help the patient to understand the way the organ functions, which could in turn help the patient recover more quickly after surgery. Most forms of the present device are a glove or mitten like device which can be worn by the individual doing the demonstration. When worn, it can be used to represent the shape and motions of the organ by appropriate movements of the fingers, thumb and hand of the individual wearing the device. The present device is therefore very useful as a teaching tool to educate a patient going into or coming out of surgery. The device also provides a very convenient way to educate a medical or nursing student, including educating the student as to what is to take place during a surgical procedure and the affects that the surgery will have on the organ or organs of interest. The device can also be used to teach younger students simple anatomy and important structures in the human body. Another use for the device is in the field of veterinary medicine. This simple to use, three-dimensional device could be used by the veterinarian or his assistant to explain animal health problems and their solutions to pet owners who may not have a clear understanding of the anatomy of their animal or the problem affecting the animal. The device has many other applications and uses in creating a representation of a body organ in a human being as well as a body organ in an animal where it is necessary and desirable to be able to understand the nature of the organ and the procedure taking place. Another important object of the present invention resides in the fact it is relatively simple and easy to use and it can be placed on or near the body where the actual organ is located that is the subject of surgery or other medical procedures. Yet another object of the present invention is the fact the device will easily fit into an individual""s pocket or attach to his clothing so it is readily accessible when needed. Thus the present device represents a useful teaching device which is three-dimensional in form, decorated to appear as it is in real life, and provides a better understanding of how an organ is constructed and functions than is available with present known means such a books, pictures, stand alone models, and verbal descriptions, and is easy for the individual to carry.
Since the present device can represent a number of different kinds of organs including the heart, lungs, liver, prostate, stomach, kidneys, genitals, and brain, as well as numerous other organs in humans and in animals, it is apparent that the present invention can be used in a wide variety of places and for many different purposes including to explain the shape, construction, and function of an organ. The device can also be used to identify where a particular procedure, such as a surgical procedure is to be performed in order to explain what will take place to a patient or to a student such as to a nursing or medical student. There are many advantages that are readily apparent from being able to demonstrate graphically and physically the construction and function of an organ. For example, a patient undergoing surgery will have a better idea of what is taking place and may have a better idea as to how to respond to the surgery after the surgery is completed.